Men's College World Series - 'Special' night fuels Ole Miss over Oklahoma in finals opener

OMAHA, Neb. — Sometimes, it's just your night. Sometimes, that night just so happens to come along on the biggest stage your sport has to offer… say, the opening stanza of the best-of-three Men's College World Series finals.

Saturday night was definitely Ole Miss' night. Now, the challenge is to recapture that Mississippi magic for one more game.

«There is still work to do, and we know that,» explained Tim Elko, the team's mustachioed first baseman, team captain, motivational speaker and, as of Saturday night, member of the College World Series statistical elite. «But we are also going to make sure we enjoy every bit of this night, because it was special, and it will always be special.»

The Rebels defeated Oklahoma 10-3 in a game that remained tense into the late innings and then suddenly turned into a rout. Now, a team that was among the last four invited to the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament is one win away from being the last team standing.

«I have been doing this for a while, and I've never heard anything or felt anything in a college baseball stadium like I did tonight,» said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco, who has participated in the College World Series six times spanning more than three decades, as a catcher, assistant coach and head coach.

«We have amazing atmospheres at [home stadium] Swayze Field, but that atmosphere tonight, that was like a football game. I think half of Mississippi showed up in Omaha today, and they did that hoping to see something special. The energy coming out of those stands told me they felt that happening.»

It's a feeling that washed over them as soon as they arrived in town and all day Saturday, and it ramped up as they arrived at Charles Schwab Field. When the gates opened and the